Center for Effective Global Action
June 2015 - Impact Note
IMPACT
 
Annual Bank Conference on Africa    
Rachel Glennerster, ABCA 2015
 
CEGA and the World Bank co-hosted the Annual Bank Conference on Africa, "Confronting Conflict and Fragility in Africa" on June 8 and 9. Vice President of the World Bank, Africa Region Makhtar Diop opened the conference and the keynote was given by CEGA Faculty Director, Ted Miguel. 50 research papers were presented and discussed over the two days exploring conflict and fragility in the region. Read Dave Evan's blog post summarizing the event, or access papers and videos online.

Transparency for Social Science Research   

 

Summer Institute 2014

On June 10-12, the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences (BITSS) held its 2nd annual Summer Institute in Berkeley. The three day workshop, which admitted 35 PhD students, junior faculty and development practitioners, featured new tools and resources for open and reproducible social science research.


 

 

Remote Sensing for Global Resilience

 

On June 22, CEGA hosted a conference on remote sensing technologies for international crisis response and community resilience. The workshop featured Planet Labs, Digital Globe, Premise Data, and other tech companies alongside CEGA researchers and NGOs. The meeting was sponsored by the Global Resilience Challenge and co-organized by BRAC. View videos of the presentations online.   
UPCOMING

 

2015 East Africa Summit

Kenya, Lisa Chen
CEGA and the East Africa Social Science Translation Collaborative (EASST) are partnering with the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), the World Bank, IPA, and J-PAL to host a series of evidence dissemination events in Nairobi this July, commemorating 20 years of randomized experiments in the region. Register online by June 30th.

OPPORTUNITIES

Submit to "Development Engineering"  
Development Engineering

Development Engineering is a new open access, interdisciplinary journal that applies engineering and economic research to the problems of poverty. Published by Elsevier and led by CEGA affiliate Paul Gertler, the journal showcases innovative technologies to improve welfare in developing countries, along with novel uses of technology to improve the measurement of development indicators. The Journal is now open for submissions and will publish its first issue in Fall 2015.

 


Hacking Measurement Course

  
Flickr
In Fall 2015, CEGA is co-sponsoring a new course at UC Berkeley on the "Internet of Things" for global development, including the design and deployment of new technologies for social and environmental measurement in field research settings. Participants will run pilot experiments that leverage tools such as mobile devices, sensors, and satellite imagery. Sign up for more information.   


 

We Are Hiring  

 

CEGA seeks a motivated Administrative Coordinator to support the Center's Faculty Director, Edward Miguel, and Executive Director, Temina Madon. A significant portion of this role will involve purchasing, reimbursements, finance, and human resources. Other duties may include overseeing facilities and internal administrative processes. Find more information here.  

 

   
CEGA IN THE NEWS

Air Conditioners and International Development 
   

CEGA affiliates Paul Gertler and Lucas Davis recently published a new study on the relationship between air conditioning, air temperature, and income levels in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Gertler and Davis discussed the study on a podcast with UN Dispatch in early June.

 

Give Directly in The Huffington Post
Give Directly

Give Directly, an organization founded by CEGA affiliate Paul Niehaus, is described in this article in The Huffington Post as one of the most effective organizations in the world trying to eliminate extreme poverty. The organization transfers $1,000 to very poor families over the course of a year via mobile phones.